Slain Woman Aspired to Lift Her Family Financially

By DNAinfo Staff on July 3, 2013 12:20pm

AUSTIN — Ashley Hardmon was a sweet 19-year-old woman who loved her family and had big dreams, neighbors and family said.

"She would say 'I want to make money, momma,'" said Tiffany Hardmon, 39. "That was her life goal. To make money so she could take care of me and her father."

Ashley Hardmon was shot dead Tuesday night in the 1300 block of North Lamon Avenue, just a five-minute walk from her family's home.

"I heard shots and I thought it was firecrackers," said Essie Taylor, 70, who lives around the corner from the site of the shooting and had known Hardmon for years. "She was a sweet girl. She was a sweet child."

The shooting occurred when two people on foot fired into a group that Hardmon was with about 9:40 p.m., police said.